Leather-working machine.



W. H. STIMPSON & P. A. BRADFORD.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 190B- Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

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WILLIAM HENRY STIMPSON, OF WINTHROP, AND FRANK ALLEN BRADFORD, OFDOROHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO MILFORD IRON FOUNDRY, OFMILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-WORKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Application filed. January 17, 1908. Serial No. 411,270.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, XVILLIAM I'IENRY STIMPsoN, of inthrop, county ofSuffolk, and State of Massachusetts, and F RANK AL- LEN BRADFORD, ofDorchester, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-forkingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for treating the surfaces of sheetsof leather by applying a rotary operating member to a sheet which isyieldingly supported by a bed, the operating member being adapted torub, brush or otherwise treat the exposed surface of the sheet.

The invention has particular reference to a machine for setting andscouring leather by the action of a rotary tool or operating member,which is located in the center of a working space formed between the endportions of the supporting frame of the machine and a bed which is alsolocated at the central portion of the working space, in position tocooperate with the rotary working member, the arrangement being suchthat there is sufiicient vacancy in the working space at each end of theoperating member and bed for the accommodation of portions of theleather sheet which are not in contact with said parts, but projectstherefrom, as is the case when the width or length of the leather sheetis considerably greater than that of the operating member and bed.

The invention has for its object to provide a machine of this character,with a plurality of interchangeable operating members so mounted thateither member can be readily displaced from its operative positionadjacent to the bed, and another member substituted for it, thedisplaced member occupying a portion of one end of the working space,where it is out of the way and in- .closed by a shield, and at the sametime is readil accessible, and adapted to be returne to its operativeposition.

To this end the invention consists in the improvements which we will nowproceed to describe and claim.

The accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification,represents a perspective view of a leather working machine embodying ourinvention.

The supporting frame of the machine includes two end portions 12 12 andsuitable connections between said end portions, the whole forming anelongated working space between the end portions 12, which spacecontains the rotary working members and the bed hereinafter described.

13 represents a bed which is yieldingly supported at the central portionof said space, and occupies only a portion of the length of the workingspace, so that spaces are provided between the ends of the bed and theend portions 12 of the frame, for the reception of portions of a sheetof leather which may project from either direction from the ends of thebed. The bed 13 is yieldingly connected with a fixed cross bar on thesupporting frame as is common in leather scouring machines. The bed isadapted to be pressed yieldingly toward the rotary operating member bymeans of a treadle 16, pivoted to a fixed support, and a connecting rod18 connecting the treadle with an ear on the bed 13.

19 represents a shaft which is journaled in bearings 20 in the endportions 12 of the frame, said shaft extending through the working spacebetween said end portions, and being driven by any suitable means, suchas a belt running on a suitable pulley aflixed to the shaft.

21 represents a rotary operating member, mounted on the shaft 19, androtated thereby, said member being adapted to act on a sheet of leathersupported by the bed 13. The operating member 21 may be of any suitableconstruction, and adapted to perform various operations, such assetting, scouring and brushing, the member being of practicallycylindrical form, and provided with suitable working material on itsperiphery. The length of the working member 21 is preferablysubstantially equal to that of the bed 13, so that, like the bed, itsends are separated from the ends of the working space sufliciently topermit portions of the sheet of leather to project from the ends of theworking member.

A machine embodying the construction thus far described, the workingmember 21 being rigidly affixed to the shaft 19, and not capable ofendwise movement thereon, is common and well known, and is not claimedherein.

In carrying out our present invention, we

provide a plurality of working members 21, two members being preferablyemployed, each member being connected with the shaft 19 in such mannerthat the members are adapted to slide lengthwise upon the shaft, whileat all times rotatively engaged therewith. We have here shown two rotaryworking members 21, one of which is provided with bristles or brushmaterial, arranged in strips or sections, and rigid rubbing bladesalternating with the strips of brush material. member is provided withrigid rubbing blades, whichare not accompanied by brush material. Thetwo members are, therefore, adapted to perform different operations on asheet of leather.

The shaft 19 is provided with a longitudinal coupling member, which ispreferably a keyway or slot 26, and the hub of each rotary workingmember is provided with a complemental coupling member, preferably akey, adapted to slide endwise in the keyway 26, said key and keywayproviding a rotative and a sliding connection between the shaft and theworking members, so that each member can be moved into one of the endportions of the working space, and thus separated from the bed 13, theother working member being at the same time moved into position tocooperate with the bed. Suitable means are provided for securing theoperating members rigidly to the shaft in any position, so that they maybe prevented from endwise movement when such movement is not desirable.

29 29 represent shields, which are supported by the end portions of theframe in position to prevent contact between the rotary member, which isdisplaced from its operative position, and portions of the leather sheetwhich project under the displaced member. The shields are preferablystrips of sheet metal formed and supported as shown in the drawing.

It will be seen that by the employment of a plurality of interchangeablerotary The other rotar workin working members, we are enabled to use thesame machine for performing different operations on a sheet of leatherwithout actually removing any part from the machine, and substitutinganother part therefor, the operation of interchanging the workingmembers being effected by simply sliding said members along the shaft19.

It is obvious that our invention is not limited to any particularformation or structure of the interchangeable operating members, andthat the details of mechanism for supporting and rotating said interchangeable members may be variously modi fied without departing from thespirit of the invention.

e claim 1. In a machine of the character stated, an elongated drivingshaft, a plurality of interchangeable working members each rotativelyengaged with the shaft and slidable endwise thereon, a supporting bedfor the material to be operated upon when either of said working membersis in operative position on the shaft, and shields for said workingmembers when out of operative position on the shaft.

2. A machine of the character stated, comprising a supporting framehaving end portions separated by a working space, a bed occupyng a partof said space midway between said end portions beneath and adj acent tosaid shaft, a plurality of individual operating members independentlyrotatively supported and movable endwise one at a time in said space,and shields supported by the frame at the end portions of the workingspace each adapted to cooperate with one of said members when the sameis in an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY STIMPSON.

. FRANK ALLEN BRADFORD.

lVitnesses P. W. PEZZETTI, C. F. BROWN.

